UNDP: People With HIV Suffer Stigma, Discrimination in the Philippines

From CDC National Prevention Information Network

December 7, 2010

About half of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Philippines have experienced human rights abuses, a UN Development Program official said during a forum in Manila marking World AIDS Day.

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A 2009 baseline survey of people with HIV found that "people were detained, quarantined or segregated, forced to submit themselves to medical or health procedures, refused provision of basic health services, and denied health or life insurance," said Renaud Meyer, UNDP's country coordinator.

Six out of 10 people with HIV/AIDS had lost their jobs, and one in 10 were denied promotions due to the virus, Meyer said. One of every 10 patients surveyed had been forced to change residence or not allowed to rent accommodations, he said.

Prevention services targeting high-risk populations are only reaching "a dismal 38 percent, a far cry from the universal target of 80 percent," Meyer noted. However, the Philippines "fared relatively well" on treatment coverage, reaching 82 percent of those in need, he said. Nonetheless, the service "has been plagued by sustainability issues, especially with the increased demand from the ever-increasing number of people getting infected each day, coupled with depleting resources," Meyer said.

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